Tailored garment with integral support unit

ABSTRACT

A garment comprises an outer shell and a support unit integrally secured thereto by an adjustable securement to allow an upper band of the support unit to expand and contract about a wearer of the garment relatively freely of the waistband of the outer shell so as to avoid collapsing it. The outer shell garment may thus be presented as a tailored, smooth finished garment with no indication that the support unit is beneath and the need to use a stretch fabric in the outer shell waistband is thereby alleviated, facilitating the look of a high quality tailored piece of clothing having a smooth, non-gathered waistband. Integration of the support unit into the outer shell also allows a closure and one or more stays of the support unit to be properly aligned or offset from the outer shell as needed to minimize or prevent bulges or lines in the outer shell.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates generally to a garment having abody support unit secured thereto; particularly to a garment having abody support unit secured thereto in a manner allowing the support unitto expand or contract substantially freely of the garment.

[0003] 2. Background

[0004] Support units have long been used for compressing unwanted bodybulges to conceal them from view and provide a thinner or smoother bodyimage. One example of a support unit is commonly referred to as agirdle. To complete the desired image, the support unit was oftenconcealed beneath outer clothing to prevent others from detecting thatthe support unit was employed to provide the thinner, smoother imageexhibited. While some garments have been manufactured in the past withinterior support or stretch panels fixed thereto, such garments havetypically been assembled utilizing exterior shell fabrics of the typethat incorporate mechanical stretch properties inclusively engineeredinto the woven or knitted shell fabric.

[0005] One such garment is disclosed by Kishi in U.S. Pat. No.5,888,118. In Kishi, an interior stretch lining is stitched to an outerstretch-type shell garment at the site of the slide fastener (zipper) ofthe shell. Other garments have an outer shell garment having anelastic-type gathered waistband employed to allow the marrying of asmaller waistband of a stretch lining to the larger elastic-typegathered waistband of the shell. In these garments, the lining waistbandand the shell waistband are each typically constructed to be smallerthan the waist of the intended wearer such that upon placing the garmenton the wearer's body, both the shell waistband and the stretch liningwere stretched and the propensity for the lining to return to itsrelaxed state allowed the lining to have its intended effect ofcompressing the wearer's body bulges. With the lining fastened directlyto the shell, the contraction of the lining waistband caused aconcomitant contraction in the shell waistband. Thus, the elasticgathered waistband was gathered and bunched by the contraction of thestretch lining as it contracted to the wearer's body. In yet anotherexample disclosed by Bergstein in U.S. Pat. No. 3,234,947 a stretchlining having panels of Lycra® was cut to be relaxed at the top of thefront and back panels of the outer shell garment. The bottom of theLycra® panels were cut to be narrower than the accompanying shell legpanels with which they were to be combined. However, the expansion andcontraction of the stretch linings of these prior garments resulted in aconcomitant reaction at the outer shell garment attached thereto causingan unattractive and cheaper, low-end look to the garment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The present invention provides tailored or casual garments suchas ladies slacks, shorts, skirts, and dresses, or men's tailored orcasual trousers and shorts, having a fully integrated inner supportunit. The inner support unit of the present invention is highlyeffective in supporting and compressing body bulges into a smoother,more flattering appearance while the outer garment simultaneously offersthe exterior appearance of a highly tailored article of clothing of thetype not previously associated with an integral support unit, andconcealing the presence of the inner support unit.

[0007] The present invention enables integral incorporation of a supportunit into a shell garment of any type of cloth fabrication such asworsted woolens, cotton poplins, linens, poly combinations, as well asknitted goods and any other stretch fabric of natural or artificialmakeup or blends thereof, while allowing the support unit to expand orcontract about a wearer's body, without affecting the look of the shellgarment due to bunching or the like, by buffering the support unit fromthe shell.

[0008] One objective of the present invention is to provide highlydesirable tailored or casual garments to individuals who consciouslywant to employ a support unit therewith to provide an improved lowerbody appearance.

[0009] Another objective of the present invention is to provide anintegrated shell garment and support unit wherein the support unit willconstrict and flatten the abdomen, smooth the hips, and constrict andshape the buttocks.

[0010] A further object of the present invention is to enable a highlyexpandable and relatively smaller-sized support unit waistband to beintegrated with a relatively larger waistband of a tailored shellwithout pulling in, collapsing or bunching the outer shell or requiringa gathered, elastic-type waistband which connotes a lower-end product.

[0011] An additional object of the present invention is to provide anintegrated shell garment and support unit wherein the support unit issubstantially free to expand or contract with respect to the outershell.

[0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide anintegrated shell garment and support unit wherein the support unit isintegrated into the outer shell by a buffering adjustable securementwhich facilitates relatively free expansion and contraction of thesupport unit with respect to the outer shell.

[0013] A further object of the present invention is to provide anintegrated shell garment and support unit wherein the support unit isintegrated into the outer shell by a buffering adjustable securementwhich facilitates relatively free expansion and contraction of thesupport unit waistband with respect to the outer shell waistband.

[0014] An additional object of the present invention is to provide anexpandable support unit integrated to a substantially non-expandableportion of an outer shell garment wherein the support unit issubstantially free to expand or contract with respect to the shellwithout pulling in, collapsing or bunching the outer shell or requiringa gathered, elastic type waistband which connotes a lower-end product.

[0015] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method ofconstructing an integrated shell garment and support unit wherein thesupport unit is integrated into the outer shell by a bufferingadjustable securement which facilitates relatively free expansion andcontraction of the support unit waistband with respect to the outershell waistband.

[0016] Still a further object of the present invention is to provide anintegrated shell garment and support unit wherein the support unit isaligned with respect to the shell in order to minimize the visibility ofthe support unit through the shell.

[0017] An additional object of the present invention is to provide anintegrated shell garment and support unit wherein the support unit maybe quickly disconnected from the shell garment.

[0018] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide anintegrated shell garment and support unit wherein the support unit isresistant to bunching or riding up the body of the person wearing thegarment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019]FIG. 1A is a front elevational view of one embodiment of thegarment of the present invention.

[0020]FIG. 1B is a rear elevational view of the garment of FIG. 1A.

[0021]FIG. 2A is a front perspective view of the garment of FIG. 1A withthe outer shell garment partially cut away to expose a support unitattached thereto according to the present invention.

[0022]FIG. 2B is a side perspective view of the garment of FIG. 2A withthe outer shell garment partially cut away to expose a support unitattached thereto according to the present invention.

[0023]FIG. 2C is a rear perspective view of the garment of FIG. 2A withthe outer shell garment partially cut away to expose a support unitattached thereto according to the present invention.

[0024]FIG. 2D is an exploded top elevational view of the garment of theFIG. 2A.

[0025]FIG. 2E is an enlarged view of portion 2E of the support unit, theadjustable securement and the outer shell waistband of FIG. 2A.

[0026]FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of the garment of FIG. 2A takenalong line 3A-3A.

[0027]FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the garment of FIG. 1A and asupport unit secured therein taken along line 3B-3B.

[0028]FIG. 4A depicts an adjuster band of the present invention beingsecured to the support unit of FIG. 6A according to the presentinvention.

[0029]FIG. 4B depicts the support unit of FIG. 6A with the adjuster bandfully secured thereto and prior to attachment to the outer shellgarment.

[0030]FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the various panels andoverlays of the support unit of the present invention.

[0031]FIG. 6A is a front perspective view of one embodiment of thesupport unit of the present invention.

[0032]FIG. 6B is a rear perspective view of the support unit of FIG. 6A.

[0033]FIG. 6C is a cross-sectional view of the support unit of FIG. 6Btaken along line 6C-6C.

[0034]FIG. 7 comprises a table indicating comparative dimensions of theouter shell and support unit of one embodiment of the garment of thepresent invention.

[0035]FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment ofthe present invention having a detachable support unit.

[0036]FIG. 9 is a front perspective view of another alternativeembodiment of the present invention having an alternative adjustablesecurement, with the outer shell garment partially cut away.

[0037]FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of another alternativeembodiment of the present invention having an alternative adjustablesecurement.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0038] One embodiment of the garment 10 of the present invention isdepicted in FIGS. 1A, 1B which indicate a pair of slacks having a fullyintegrated inner support unit concealed therein. While the garment 10 isdepicted as a pair of slacks, the present invention provides for anytailored or casual garments such as ladies slacks, shorts, skirts, anddresses, or men's tailored or casual trousers and shorts, having a fullyintegrated inner support unit. One embodiment of the garment 10 of thepresent invention shown in FIGS. 2A-2E and 3A-3B wherein an outer shellgarment 12 is integrally attached to a support unit 14 by an adjustablesecurement 16. In FIGS. 4A-4B, 2A-2E and 3B the adjustable securement 16is comprised of an adjuster band 18. As depicted in FIG. 3B, a waistband20 of the outer shell 12 comprises a waistband shell 22, a banrol 24, awaistband curtain underskirt 26 and a waistband curtain 28, all of whichare attached along securing lines 30. These components of the outershell waistband 20 may be attached along the securing lines 30 bystitching or other methods known in the art. The components of the outershell waistband 20 described herein constitute only one of many shellwaistband constructions capable of use with the present invention. Anupper end 34 of the adjuster band 18 is secured to a lower end 32 of thewaistband curtain underskirt 26 along securing line 35 by stitching orother methods known in the art. Securement of the adjuster band 18 tothe waistband curtain underskirt 26 along securing line 35 mayaccomplished by any of these known methods in a continuous orintermittently dispersed manner about securing line 35. An adjuster bandlower end 36 is secured to a support unit upper band 38 whichcircumscribes the upper end of the support unit 14 which is, in turn,secured to a support unit body 40 which comprises the various panelsdescribed hereinbelow.

[0039] As shown in FIGS. 3B and 6B, the support unit body 40 maycomprise one or more stays 42 to resist the tendency of the support unit14 to ride up the body of the wearer causing bunching which may resultin visible lines in the outer shell garment 12 or general discomfort tothe wearer. One embodiment of the support unit body 40 is depicted inFIGS. 5 and 6A-6C comprising four main sections, specifically, a rightfront section 44, a left front section 46, a right rear section 48 and aleft rear section 50. The four main sections 44, 46, 48, 50, depicted inan exploded view in FIG. 5, are constructed of mechanical stretch fabricmanufactured of spandex fiber, or the like, having properties whichprovide for 360° of stretch and recovery. It has been found thatcomprising the four main sections 44, 46, 48, 50 of a stretch fabricmarketed as Darlington Powernet #5614 provides sufficient stretch andrecovery properties to achieve the goals of the present invention. Otherfabrics may be substituted consistent with the objectives of the presentinvention. The support unit body 40 further comprises a pair ofoverlays, specifically, a right front overlay 52 and a left frontoverlay 54 positioned on opposing sides of a support unit closure 56 andover the right and left front main sections 44, 46 respectively asdepicted. The overlay sections 52, 54 are manufactured of a two-way,vertical only stretch material such that the overlay sections willstretch only in the vertical direction. Thus, the pair of overlays 52,54 provide additional compression and control at the front of thesupport unit 14 which will associate with the lower abdomen of a wearer.In one embodiment, the overlays 52, 54 are made of a stretch fabricmarketed as Native #42118. Other fabrics may be substituted consistentwith the objectives of the present invention. Of course, the strength ofthe stretch and recovery properties of any of the four main sections 44,46, 48, 50 or the overlays 52, 54 may be varied to provide more or lesssupport to the wearer of the garment 10. Furthermore, other supportgarments of varying constructions can be used in practicing theinvention.

[0040] The main sections 44, 46, 48, 50 of the support unit body 40 aresecured together, as depicted, between the right front section 44 andthe right rear section 48, between the left front section 46 and theleft rear section 50, and between the right rear section 48 and the leftrear section 50 by known methods. It has been found that stitching of azig zag nature, as known in the art, allows the stretching and recoveryof the fabrics without breaking the stitching. It has also been foundthat threads having a polyester core with a cotton wrap cover affordproper stitching. Other stitching and threads may be employed as knownin the art to accomplish the objectives of the present invention. Theright and left front sections 44, 46 (along with the overlays 52, 54respectively secured thereto) are selectively secured one to the otherby the closure 56 which allows the support unit to be opened forplacement over the body of a wearer of the garment 10. While the closuremay be of any type known in the art, it has been found that a closure ofthe hook and eye type (depicted in FIG. 6A) will achieve the objectivesof the present invention. Depending on the model and size of the garment10, it has been found that between five and ten hooks and correspondingeyes will provide a proper closure 56. Using a closure of the hook andeye type allows the stretch fabrics of the support unit 14 to be closedin distinct and disparate segments which allows the closing action to beeasier and more comfortable than a continuous closure such as, forexample, a zipper. If a zipper were to be employed as the closure of thepresent invention, then a protective placket should be used to protectthe skin of the wearer from being caught therein during zipping. It iscontemplated that the closure 56 may allow complete separation of theright and left front sections 44, 46 (along with corresponding overlays52, 54) as an alternative to only allowing partial separation asdepicted in the figures. Additionally, it is contemplated that thesupport unit 14 may accomplish the objectives of the present inventionwithout any closure, but rather by constructing the support unit as acontinuous unit wherein the overlays 52, 54 could be a single overlayand the right and left front sections 44, 46 could be a single frontsection. In this configuration, the elasticity of the support unit 14may be adjusted to assure that the support unit 14 may fit over the hipsof the wearer.

[0041] Regardless of the type of support unit closure employed, it ispreferred that the closure is recessed from the outer surface of thesupport unit 14 to prevent if from protruding into the outer shell 12and causing a visible bulge. This may be accomplished, for example, bysecuring the closure to either the inner or outer side of the right andleft front sections 44, 46 of the support unit body 40.

[0042] In one embodiment, the support unit closure 56 is offset from aclosure 58 of the outer shell 12 as shown in FIG. 3A. Offsetting thesupport unit closure 56 in this manner assures that any bulge causedthereby will not be aligned with the outer shell closure 58. Cumulativebulging of the closures 56, 58 is thereby avoided and visible bulging inthe front of the outer shell 12 is eliminated or minimized. Offsettingof the support unit closure 56 may be accomplished by configuring theright and left front sections 44, 46 as well as the overlays 52, 54 ofthe support unit body 40 to be of different sizes or configurations. Forexample, the right front section 44 and right overlay 52 are depictedherein as larger than the left front section 46 and left overlay 54 toprovide the desired closure offset. Other manners of accomplishing thisoffset are also contemplated. The outer shell closure 58 may compriseany typical manner of closing a high quality garment such as a nylon ormetal zipper. Other closure methods including, but not limited to,buttons and buttonhole and/or the use of Velcro® closures are alsocontemplated.

[0043] The support unit 14 depicted comprises a plurality of stays 42.One embodiment, as best depicted in FIG. 6B, comprises three stays 42,one at the intersection of each of the right front section 44 and theright rear section 48, the left front section 46 and the left rearsection 50, and the right rear section 48 and the left rear section 50.The stays may be secured to the support unit body 40 or pockets may becreated at the location of the stays 42 to allow insertion and removalof the stays 42 for cleaning of the support unit 14. Other known methodsof incorporating a stay, or other numbers of stays may also be employedconsistent with the objectives of the present invention. Importantly, byplacing the stays 42 at these positions in the support unit 14, thestays 42 will be aligned with the seams 59 of the outer shell 12.Aligning the stays 42 with the seams 59 of the outer shell 12 willassist in hiding the presence of the stays which might otherwise becomevisibly evident at the exterior of the outer shell 12.

[0044] It has become evident that integrating the support unit 14 intothe outer shell 12 of the garment 10 of the present invention allows thegarment 10 to be properly designed to hide the presence of the supportunit 14 by “marrying” the construction of the support unit 14 to that ofthe outer shell 12. As described above, the garment 10 of the presentinvention has, in the depicted embodiment, offset the support unitclosure 56 from the closure 58 of the outer shell 12 (“closure offset”)and has aligned the support unit stays 42 to the outer shell seems 59(“stay-to-seam alignment”). Each of these features contributes to theconcealment of the support unit 14. Moreover, the closure offset and thestay-to-seem alignment is substantially maintained by the integralnature of the present garment 10 provided by the adjustable securement16.

[0045] The support unit 14 further comprises a lower band 60 attached toa lower end of the support unit body 40 which may, depending upon theconstrictive force therein, assist the stays 42 in resisting thetendency of the support unit 14 to ride up the body of a wearer. Unlikethe support unit upper band 38, the support unit lower band 60 maycircumscribe the entire lower end of the support unit body 40 in thedepicted embodiment. Both the support unit upper and lower bands 38, 60may be comprised of an elastic material to assist in assuring that thesupport unit is closely formed to the wearer. On feminine garments,stretch lace may be employed as, or in addition to, the upper and lowerbands 38, 60 to provide an aesthetically pleasing finish to the supportunit 14.

[0046] Proper integration of the support unit 14 into the outer shell 12is provided by the adjustable securement 16 which is, in one embodiment,represented in the figures by adjuster band 18. The length of thesupport unit upper band 38 is preferably shorter than the length of theshell waistband 20 to fit the support unit 14 into the outer shell 12.Therefore, the perimeter of the support unit upper band 38 will besmaller than perimeter of the shell waistband 20 creating a sizedifferential therebetween. Because the outer shell waistband 20 issubstantially non-flexible, this size differential will fluctuate as thesupport unit upper band 38 expands and contracts with the size andmovement of the body of a wearer of the garment 10. The adjustablesecurement 16 accommodates this fluctuating size differential. It iscontemplated that the advantages of the present invention may also beachieved by integrally attaching a support unit 14 to an outer shellhaving a substantially expandable or stretch-type waistband, by theadjustable securement 16 of the present invention.

[0047] In the depicted embodiment, as discussed below with reference tothe method of manufacturing the garment 10 of the present invention, theadjuster band 18 is constructed to be substantially the same length asthe waistband curtain underskirt 26 to which it is secured. To assureeven distribution of the adjuster band 18 about the support unit upperband 38, the two are secured along securing line 35, one to the other,while the support unit upper band 38 is in a stretched configurationwherein the support unit upper band 38 is elongated to substantially thesame length as the adjuster band 18. FIG. 4B depicts the adjuster band18 secured to a support unit upper band 38 with the upper band 38 in arelaxed state and displays the evenly dispersed bunching of the adjusterband 18 which results from the contraction of the support unit upperband 38. Integration is accomplished when the adjuster band upper end 34is secured to the lower end 32 of the waistband curtain underskirt 26.FIG. 2E provides an enlarged view of the adjuster band 18 accommodatingthe size differential between the support unit upper band 38 and thesmaller outer shell waistband 20. Specifically, it can be seen in FIG.2E that once attached to the outer shell waistband 20, the adjuster band18 bunches up only near the lower end 36 thereof while it remainsrelatively flat near the upper end 34 thereof. Thus, by constructing theadjuster band 18 of a flexible and durable material, it may accommodatethe fluctuating size differential between the support unit 14 and theouter shell 12. The flexible and durable adjuster band 18 thereforeaccommodates this size differential with small bunches which are notdetectable through the outer shell 12 and thus contributes to concealingthe presence of the support unit 14 unlike prior garments in which theflexible lining was accommodated by being attached to a visible elasticshell waistband. In one embodiment, the adjuster band 18 is made ofDarlington #253 nylon spandex. Other fabrics are also contemplated.Proper integration may also comprise employing an adjuster band 18 of adifferent elasticity than that of the support unit upper band 38. Forexample, providing the adjuster band 18 with a greater elasticity orexpandability than the support unit upper band 38 may assure that thesupport unit upper band 38 will expand substantially freely of the outershell waistband 20 such that the expansive and contractive forces of thesupport unit upper band 38 is not transmitted to the outer shellwaistband 20. As discussed below, it is also contemplated that theadjuster band upper end 34 may be attached to the outer shell 12 atother locations such as, for example, the configuration described inreference to the alternative embodiment depicted in FIG. 10.

[0048] It has been found that providing a garment 10 with one half inch(0.5 inches) of adjuster band 18 between the securing line 35 and thesupport unit upper band 38 (i.e. the adjuster band ‘height’) will allowthat garment 10 to meet the objectives of the present invention. Otheradjuster band heights are also contemplated as allowing an associatedgarment to achieve the objectives of the present invention. For example,an adjuster band 18 having a larger height may be desired to allowincorporation of the releasable securement 62 as in the alternativeembodiment described below in relation to FIG. 8.

[0049] One embodiment of the present invention is comprises varioussizes and measurements for the outer shell and the support unit whichhave been found to meet the objectives of the present invention and canbe seen in FIG. 7 for various “Misses” garment sizes of this embodiment.In this embodiment the shell waistband 20 is constructed to besubstantially two inches longer than the support unit upper band 38 toprovide a wearer with a comfortably fitting outer shell 12 and aneffective support unit 14. However, this dimension could vary, dependingon construction methods used. While a wearer of the garment 10 of thepresent invention may vary by body type, it has been found that the hipcircumference is one full size larger than the waist circumference onthe average person. Therefore, it can be seen in FIG. 7 that for eachgarment size indicated in this embodiment, the support unit hipcircumference (located at lower band 60) is larger than that of thecorresponding support unit upper band 38 by two and one half inches.Once again, these measurements can vary, depending on constructionmethods used. A vertical length of the support unit 14 (measured fromthe top of the support unit upper band 38 to the bottom of the supportunit lower band 60) of eight inches for sizes 6, 8 and 10 in the“Misses” range has been found to meet the objectives of the presentinvention. On each upwardly graded size thereafter, through size 14, thesupport unit may be lengthened by ¼inch. From size 16 and up, thesupport unit may be increased by ⅜inch. FIG. 7 depicts the verticallength of the support unit for various “Misses” garment sizes of thisembodiment. While the dimensions of FIG. 1 have been found to providethe embodiment of garment 10 employing those dimensions with theadvantages of the present invention, other dimensions are contemplatedand the present invention is not limited by the dimensions of FIG. 1.

[0050] For the embodiments of the present invention described herein, itwill become apparent from the description herein that construction ofthe outer shell 12 is accomplished as with any other outer shell inmanners known in the art. In these embodiments, the only requirement foraccomplishing the present invention is that the lower end 32 of thewaistband curtain underskirt 26 extend below the waistband securinglines 30 to allow securement of the adjuster band 18 thereto. Becausethis is a standard construction in the garment industry, the outer shell12 need not comprise any special construction to be susceptible of thepresent invention. Indeed, any shell of standard construction will allowthe present invention to be accomplished by integrating the support unit14 and adjuster band 18 therein.

[0051] In one embodiment, construction of the garment 10 of the presentinvention is accomplished by constructing the support unit 14 and theouter shell 12 separately. Beneficially, separate construction of theouter shell 12 and the support unit 14 allows for integration of thesupport unit 14 into any outer shell 12 such that any standard,preconstructed outer shell garment 12 may be susceptible to the benefitsof the present invention. Once an appropriately sized support unit 14 isselected for an intended outer shell 12, the adjuster band 18 isconstructed to be of substantially equal length to the outer shellwaistband 20. The lower end 36 of the support unit upper band 38 is thenstretched to the length of the outer shell waistband 20 (and thereforethe length of the adjuster band 18) and secured thereto as describedherein and depicted in FIG. 4A. Once secured to the support unit (FIG.4B), the adjuster band upper end 34 is then positioned against the outershell waistband curtain underskirt 26 in a configuration affording theclosure offset and the stay-to-seem alignment discussed above. The upperend 34 of the adjuster band 18 is then secured to the outer shellwaistband curtain underskirt 26 along securing line 35 to complete theintegration. Both the support unit upper band 38 and the adjuster band18 may be stretched to the length of the outer shell waistband curtainunderskirt 26 during this final step of integration. Alternatively, thesupport unit upper band 38 may be relaxed and the adjuster band 18 maybe stretched to the length of the outer shell waistband curtainunderskirt 26.

[0052] Alternatively, the adjuster band 18 (with or without the supportunit 12 attached) could be secured into the outer shell waistband 20during construction of the outer shell garment 12 either along waistbandsecuring lines 30 or along the separate securing line 35. However, thisalternative method reduces the ease with which the support unit 12 andadjuster band 18 of the present invention may be integrated into apreconstructed outer shell.

[0053] In another embodiment of garment 10 depicted in FIG. 8, anadjustable securement 16 similar to the adjuster band 18 described aboveand shown in FIG. 3B, but additionally having a releasable securement 62along the entire length thereof to allow the support unit 14 to bereadily removed from the outer shell 12. In the embodiment depicted inFIG. 8, the releasable securement 62 comprises a fine zipper within theadjuster band 18 allowing the support unit 14 to be zipped out of theouter shell 12. This zip-out embodiment could be appropriate to allowfor easier pressing of the shell as well as separate laundering ordry-cleaning of the outer shell 12 and the support unit 14. The zipperembodiment of the releasable securement 62 is not intended to beexclusive and the releasable securement 62 may be comprised of otherthan a zipper. Alternatively, the adjustable securement 16 could bedetachable from the support unit upper band 38 or the outer shellwaistband curtain underskirt 26.

[0054] In another embodiment of garment 10 depicted in FIG. 9, theadjustable securement 16 is comprised of a plurality of distinct anddisparate connector tabs 64 (rather than the continuous band of theadjuster band 18) connecting the support unit 14 to the waistbandcurtain underskirt 26.

[0055] In yet another embodiment depicted in FIG. 10, the adjuster stripupper end 34 is connected to an upper end of the outer shell waistbandcurtain underskirt 26 rather than the outer shell waistband curtainunderskirt lower end 32 as depicted in FIG. 3B. It is also contemplatedthat the adjuster strip upper end 34 may be secured to other portions ofthe outer shell waistband 20 to accomplish the objectives of the presentinvention.

[0056] By securing the support unit 14 to the outer shell 12 via theadjustable securement 16 of the present invention, the garment 10 allowsthe support unit upper band 38 to expand and contract about the wearerthereof without collapsing the outer shell waistband 20 because theadjustable securement 16 adjusts to both the length of the support unitupper band 38 and the outer shell garment waistband 20. The outer shellgarment 12 may thus be presented as a tailored, smooth finished garmentwith no indication that the support unit 14 is beneath. The need to usea stretch fabric in the outer shell 12 is thereby alleviated and thelook of a high quality tailored piece of clothing may be presentedhaving a smooth, non-gathered waistband 20. Integration of the supportunit 14 into the outer shell 12 allows the closure and the stays thereofto be properly aligned or offset as needed to avoid creating bulges orlines therefrom.

[0057] From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that thegarment of the present invention has a number of advantages, some ofwhich have been described above and others of which are inherent in thepresent invention. Also, it will be understood that modifications can bemade to the garment of the present invention without departing from theteachings of the invention. Accordingly the scope of the invention isonly to be limited as necessitated by the accompanying claims.

We claim:
 1. A garment comprising: an outer shell; a support unit forproviding bodily support to a wearer of the garment; and an adjustablesecurement integrating the support unit to the outer shell; wherein theadjustable securement allows substantially independent expansion andcontraction of the support unit relative to the outer shell.
 2. Thegarment of claim 1 wherein the adjustable securement secures an upperband of the support unit to a waistband of the outer shell, the outershell waistband being substantially non-elastic.
 3. The garment of claim1 wherein the adjustable securement comprises an adjuster band securingthe support unit to a waistband of the outer shell.
 4. The garment ofclaim 3 , the adjuster band further comprising a releasable securementfacilitating selective detachment of the support unit from the outershell.
 5. The garment of claim 4 , wherein the releasable securementcomprises a zipper.
 6. The garment of claim 3 wherein the adjuster bandis secured to an upper band of the support unit and the elasticity ofthe adjuster band differs from the elasticity of the support unit upperband.
 7. The garment of claim 1 further defined in that: the outer shellcomprises a closure and a seem; and the support unit comprises a closureand a stay; wherein the support unit closure is offset from the outershell closure and the support unit stay is aligned with the outer shellseem.
 8. The garment of claim 1 wherein the support unit comprises asupport unit body which is constructed to allow stretching thereof inany direction except for a portion of the support unit body configuredto associate with the abdomen of a wearer and is constructed to allowstretching thereof only in the vertical directions.
 9. The garment ofclaim 1 wherein the outer shell is comprised of one of the groupconsisting of shorts, slacks, trousers, a skirt and a dress.
 10. Asupport unit for integration with an outer shell garment to providebodily support to a wearer of the support unit, the support unit havingan adjustable securement attached thereto for integrating the supportunit to the outer shell, wherein the adjustable securement will allowsubstantially independent expansion and contraction of the support unitrelative to the outer shell.
 11. The support unit of claim 10 , theadjustable securement comprising: a lower end attached to an upper bandof the support unit; and an upper end for attachment to a substantiallynon-elastic waistband of the outer shell.
 12. The support unit of claim10 wherein the adjustable securement comprises an adjuster band.
 13. Thesupport unit of claim 12 , the adjuster band further comprising areleasable securement for facilitating selective detachment of thesupport unit from the outer shell.
 14. The support unit of claim 13 ,wherein the releasable securement comprises a zipper.
 15. The supportunit of claim 12 wherein the adjuster band is secured to an upper bandof the support unit and the elasticity of the adjuster band differs fromthe elasticity of the support unit upper band.
 16. The support unit ofclaim 10 , the support unit comprising: a closure configured for beingoffset from a closure of the outer shell; and a stay configured forbeing aligned with a seem of the outer shell.
 17. The support unit ofclaim 10 wherein the support unit comprises a support unit body which isconstructed to allow stretching thereof in any direction except for aportion of the support unit body configured to associate with theabdomen of a wearer to allow stretching thereof only in the verticaldirections.
 18. The support unit of claim 10 for attachment to one ofthe group consisting of shorts, slacks, trousers, a skirt and a dress.19. A method of constructing a garment comprising the steps of: a.providing a support unit to provide bodily support to a wearer thereof;b. providing an adjustable securement for integrating the support unitto an outer shell, wherein the adjustable securement is configured toallow substantially independent expansion and contraction of the supportunit relative to the outer shell; and c. securing the adjustablesecurement to the support unit.
 20. The method of claim 19 wherein thestep of providing an adjustable securement comprises constructing theadjustable securement to be substantially the same length as a waistbandof the outer shell.
 21. The method of claim 20 wherein the support unitcomprises a support unit body and an upper band secured to an upper endof the support unit body, the step of securing the adjustable securementto the support unit comprises maintaining the support unit upper bandstretched to be of substantially equal length to the adjustablesecurement throughout the step of securing the adjustable securement tothe support unit.
 22. The method of claim 21 further comprising thesteps of: d. providing an outer shell; and e. securing the adjustablesecurement to the outer shell.
 23. The method of claim 22 wherein thestep of securing the adjustable securement to the outer shell comprisesmaintaining the support unit upper band stretched to be of substantiallyequal length to the outer shell waistband throughout the step ofsecuring the adjustable securement to the outer shell.
 24. The method ofclaim 22 wherein the step of securing the adjustable securement to theouter shell comprises maintaining an upper end of the adjustablesecurement stretched to be of substantially equal length to the outershell waistband throughout the step of securing the adjustablesecurement to the outer shell.
 25. The method of claim 20 wherein theadjustable securement comprises a releasable securement comprised of azipper attaching an adjustable securement first part and an adjustablesecurement second part, the step of securing the adjustable securementto the outer shell comprising securing the adjustable securement firstpart to the outer shell.
 26. The method of claim 20 wherein the step ofsecuring the adjustable securement to the support unit comprisesaligning a stay of the support unit with a seem of the outer shell andoffsetting a closure of the support unit with a closure of the outershell.
 27. A garment comprising: an outer shell comprising a closure anda seem; and a support unit for providing bodily support to a wearer ofthe garment integrally secured to the outer shell, the support unitcomprising a closure and a stay; wherein the support unit closure isoffset from the outer shell closure and the support unit stay is alignedwith the outer shell seem.